Holder for a concealed handgun

ABSTRACT

A holder for a concealed handgun includes a resilient clip removeably attachable to a wearer&#39;s belt or waistband. Attached to the clip and supported thereby is a support strap which extends downward from the clip inside a wearer&#39;s pants or other garment. A Velcro® patch on a lower end of the support strap attaches to a matching patch attached to the grip of the handgun; the handgun has patches on either grip, allowing the handgun to be worn on either side of a person&#39;s body. A holder strap is sewn or otherwise attached to the support strap at approximately a right angle; the holder strap includes Velcro® tabs or patches so that it can be wrapped around the grip of a handgun to secure the handgun within the holder strap. Pulling upward on the clip removes both holder and handgun from within the wearer&#39;s clothing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to holders for concealed weapons, and particularly to a holder which supports a concealed handgun inside a user's trousers or other garment.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Concealing a weapon such as a handgun inside a person's clothing has been accomplished in a variety of ways. Shoulder holsters, belt holsters, boot holsters, and the like have been employed for many years. Many or most of these devices have drawbacks such as being bulky or uncomfortable to a wearer, being noticeable, or being difficult to access. Rapid access to a concealed weapon is of course necessary if the weapon is to be used effectively. What is needed, therefore, is a device which allows a user to carry a concealed handgun in comfort and which allows ready access to the weapon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The invention described herein is a holder for a concealed handgun which may be worn by men or women, beneath pants, shorts, skirts, or any other lower garment having a belt or waistband. Attached to a belt or waistband by a resilient, removeable clip, the holder includes a support strap attached to the clip and a second strap or holder strap for securing the weapon. The holder strap is attached to the support strap, and is wrapped around the grip of a handgun; the weapon is secured in the holder strap by means of Velcro® patches. Velcro® patches are attached to each side of the handgun grip; matching Velcro® patches on the support strap and on the holder strap attach to the patches on the grip.

[0007] The holder is adapted for either right- or left-handed use. Both holder and the weapon are placed inside a user's garment, and held in place by slipping the clip over a belt or waistband. Made of thin, lightweight, and strong materials such as plastic webbing, the straps facilitate removal of the weapon from within the garment. Drawing the weapon from beneath clothing is accomplished by gripping and pulling up on the clip so that both holder and gun are removed.

[0008] Based on the above, it is an object of this invention to provide an effective holder for a concealed handgun.

[0009] Another object is to provide such a holder which is comfortable, easy to use and which allows rapid access to a concealed weapon.

[0010] Further objects are to achieve the above with devices that are compact, durable, simple, efficient, and reliable, yet inexpensive and easy to install and operate.

[0011] The specific nature of the invention, as well as other objects, uses, and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, the different views of which are not necessarily scale drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 is an elevation showing Velcro® patches attached to the grip of a handgun.

[0013]FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a handgun holder including a support strap and a holding strap attached to the support strap.

[0014]FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of a handgun holder as shown in FIG. 2.

[0015]FIG. 4 is a side elevation showing the holder installed on a handgun, with the holding strap wrapped around the handgun grip.

[0016]FIG. 5 is a perspective view with a cutout showing a handgun holder attached to a user's belt.

[0017]FIG. 6 is a perspective view with a cutout showing the handgun holder with a handgun secured therein, the gun being concealed inside the user's clothing.

CATALOG OF THE ELEMENTS:

[0018] To aid in the correlation of the elements of the invention to the exemplary drawings, the following catalog of the elements is provided:

[0019] 10 holder

[0020] 12 clip

[0021] 14 support strap

[0022] 16 holder strap

[0023] 18 Velcro® material

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a holder 10 for a handgun. A belt clip 12 attaches to a wearer's belt, with strap 14 securely attached to the belt clip 12. The clip is attached to a wearer's belt so that strap 14 extends downwardly from the belt, inside the wearer's trousers. The holder may be worn by either men or women, and the belt clip may be attached to the waistband of the wearer's pants rather than to a belt. The only visible portion of the holder is the external end of clip 12, which is made of metal or plastic. Where clip 12 is made of plastic, the material may be colored in a neutral color or other desirable color; if made from metal, an outer surface of clip 12 may be painted or otherwise colored, or covered in fabric.

[0025] Support strap 14 extends about six inches from the upper end of clip 12; this length is not critical, and may be adjusted to fit an individual wearer's needs. Attached to a distal end (relative to clip 12) of support strap 14 is holding strap 16. The holding strap is preferably made from the same material as the support strap; in the preferred embodiment, the two straps are sewn together, although adhesive or thermal bonding may also be used to attach the straps to each other.

[0026] A lower end of support strap 14 has a Velcro® patch attached thereto. The Velcro® patch on the support strap engages and attaches to a matching patch secured to the side of the handgun's grip. The handgun has a Velcro® patch on each side of the grip, so the weapon may be positioned for use by either the right or left hand.

[0027] Holding strap 16 is covered with Velcro® on each side, for substantially the entire length of the strap. Holding strap 16 wraps around the handle or grip of a handgun; with the Velcro® on the holding strap engaging the Velcro® patches on the handgun grip. Additional security is provided by the Velcro® on holding strap 16, which keeps the holding strap in place around the grip.

[0028] In use, a wearer places the support strap against the weapon's grip so the Velcro® patches on the support strap and on the handgun grip engage each other. Then holding strap 16 is wrapped tightly around the grip of a handgun, and the distal end of the holding strap is secured to itself by means of the Velcro® which covers the holding strap. The weapon is then slipped inside the wearer's pants, typically on the side of the wearer's dominant arm. The weapon in its holder is lowered down inside the wearer's trousers until the clip 12 is in position to engage the wearer's belt or waistband. Then the clip is slipped over the belt or waistband to support the holder and the weapon inside the wearer's pants. The handgun is positioned to lie against the wearer's lower abdomen, near a pants pocket and substantially on the same level as the pocket. Because most pants and other garments have some loose material in this area, the handgun is effectively concealed from view. The position of the weapon is such that the holder can also be used to conceal a weapon inside shorts or any other garment which includes a belt or waistband and which is of sufficient length to cover the weapon.

[0029] To draw the weapon from its concealed position, a user grips the clip and pulls upward, slipping the clip from the belt and drawing both holder and the weapon from within his or her pants. Holding strap 16 need not be removed before the weapon can be used; i.e., one can grip and fire the weapon with the holder still in place. The support strap and holding straps are sufficiently thin that they do not interfere with gripping and firing the weapon.

[0030] The restrictive description and drawings of the specific examples above do not point out what an infringement of this patent would be, but are to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention. Various modifications can be made in the construction, material, arrangement, and operation, and still be within the scope of my invention. The limits of the invention and the bounds of the patent protection are measured by and defined in the following claims. 

I claim as my invention:
 1. A holder for a concealed handgun, comprising: a resilient clip for attaching to a user's garment so that said holder is concealed beneath said garment, a support strap fastened to said clip, means for securing said support strap to a grip of the handgun, a holding strap fastened to said support strap, and means for securing said holding strap to said grip of the handgun.
 2. A holder for a concealed handgun as described in claim 1, further comprising: said support strap and said holder strap being made of plastic material.
 3. A holder for a concealed handgun as described in claim 1, further comprising: said means for securing said support strap to said grip of the handgun including cooperating Velcro® patches on a grip of said handgun and on said support strap.
 4. A holder for a concealed handgun as described in claim 1, further comprising: said means for securing said holder strap to said grip of the handgun including Velcro® patches on said holder strap.
 5. A holder for a concealed handgun as described in claim 4, wherein said holder strap includes strips of Velcro® attached on each side thereof.
 6. A holder for a concealed handgun, comprising: a resilient clip for attaching to a user's garment so that said holder is concealed inside said garment, a support strap fastened to said clip, means for securing a handgun to said support strap, a holding strap fastened to said support strap, said support strap and said holding strap being fastened together at a 90° angle relative to each other, and means for securing a handgun to said holding strap.
 7. A holder for a concealed handgun as described in claim 6, further comprising: said means for securing a handgun to said support strap including cooperating patches of Velcro® material attached to said grip of the handgun and to said support strap.
 8. A holder for a concealed handgun as described in claim 6, further comprising: said means for securing a handgun to said holding strap including cooperating patches of Velcro® material attached to said grip of the handgun and Velcro strips attached to said holding strap.
 9. A holder for a concealed handgun as described in claim 6, further comprising: said means for securing a handgun to said holding strap including cooperating strips of Velcro® material attached to either side of said holding strap so that said holding strap will attach to itself when wrapped around said grip of the handgun, securing the handgun within said holder. 